This summer marks three years since the Ice Bucket Challenge first swept social media - with the goal of raising money for A-L-S research. It was started by Beverly native and Boston College star athlete Pete Frates, who, at the age of 27, was diagnosed with ALS — a debilitating condition that right now has no cure. In recent weeks, researchers have made progress. The FDA recently approved the first new drug treatment for ALS in 22 years, which has the potential to slow symptoms. And since 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised more than $220 million for the ALS Association and its sister organizations around the world. At the same time, for those who live with ALS every day, the personal financial burden is simply out of reach — as much as $1 million a year. Nancy Frates, Pete Frates’ mother, and Stephen Winthrop, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2013 and was named last month as the chair of the ALS Association Board of Trustees after winning the organization’s national Hero award in February, joined Jim to discuss the progress and challenges involved in treating ALS.
The bond between a mother and her child can be complicated – something actress, author and activist Marianne Leone knows well. You might remember Leone in her role as Joanne Moltisanti, Christopher’s mother, on the hit HBO series “The Sopranos.” In her new book, “Ma Speaks Up: And a First-Generation Daughter Talks Back,” Leone opens up about her own complicated relationship with her mother — an Italian immigrant and single parent. She joined Jim to talk about it.
Jim’s thoughts on good news and bad news for Tom Brady.
